tabletop launch pad--
the matchbox car
rockets into space
before splashing down
in the cat's water bowl
the two of us exploring
the kimmswick bone bed
what would it be like
to stand in the shadow
of a mastodon
vacation pictures
taken at the edge of a cliff
the past not nearly
as exhilarating as when
it was our future
I still have
the mirror you gave me
with its gold-plated roses
not long after you
dislocated my jaw
another layer added
to the earth's core
so many chapters
in this novel
we may never finish
reclaiming
some lost territory
from my childhood
the imprint of pebbles
on the soles of my feet
Shaw Nature Reserve
I am glad I will not be young in a future without wilderness.
~ Aldo Leopold
Aldo Leopold
November 6, 1951
do you remember
trudging through the snow
when november
turned into a blizzard
even trailblazers get lost
bluebirds have returned
to the nesting box
in the bur oak tree
I know that your spirit
will always be with me
"From Russia With Love,"
a James Bond poster
in the antique shop...
it's then I realize that I'm older
than half the merchandise
